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I Survived My 20s – Depression
[Guest Post by Addie Zierman] – I turned 20 on a warm day in July, and then, two weeks later, I got married. There was pink tulle everywhere and 200 roses that we ordered online and arranged into bouquets in the church basement. During the ceremony, two of my best friends from high school sang “Be Thou My Vision,” and their voices filled the room, haunting and sweet. This is how I began my 20s: eyes closed, heart raised. I was full to the brim with love and with Jesus, surrounded by all of my closest friends who felt the exact same way. From that alter, the future looked sparkling…
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I Survived My 20s – Change
[Guest Post by Tracy] – I tried to stifle the tears as I watched my parents drive off. What had I done? I graduated from college and secured my first job; that’s what. Earlier that week I said my goodbyes, loaded the car, and moved across state lines to New Mexico, the “Land of Enchantment.” Gone was the familiar sound of my parents’ voices. Gone were the opportunities to hang out with friends who knew my intimate details. It was just my mini cactus, “Larry,” and me now. We would face the change in my new life together. Ironically, my first year in the “Land of Enchantment”… sucked. Even Larry…
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I Survived My 20s – Failure
[Guest post by Allison Vesterfelt] -I only have one year left of my twenties. It’s been a crazy, wild, ride, and it’s going to be over really soon. I have mixed feelings about that. Part of me is bummed to get old. You know wrinkles, slowed metabolism, an inability to operate basic electronic equipment, that sort of thing. But part of me is excited to kiss my twenties goodbye and say hello to my thirties. People say the thirties are your best years and, let’s be honest, my twenties have been fun, but it hasn’t been all that pretty at times. When I look back over the last almost-decade of…
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I Survived My 20s – Idols
[Guest Post by Kimberly Davidson Campbell] – Although I enjoyed my 20s–and now definitely enjoy my 30s more–there was one problem: where I found my identity. Idols. The biggest heart struggle I had was not just about being single, but pleasing men. Not in the “dress cute so someone will ask you out” men pleasing way; but in something that was for me much more dangerous to my walk with God. I thought if I could be involved enough, cool enough, and popular enough, pretty enough, stylish enough, smart enough, relevant enough–someone would give me my dream ministry position on staff at a church. There was one church in particular…
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I Survived My 20s – Cancer
[Monthly Columnist – Wendy van Eyck] – My husband has cancer. I find myself wanting to insert this sentence into every conversation that I have. It doesn’t really matter what the conversation is about. It could be that the cashier says, “That’ll be 3.25 please”. In reply, I blurt out, “My husband has lymphoma”. Or I could be on the phone with a supplier telling me that they are upset about something and I hear a conversation in my head saying, “Do you think I really care? My husband has cancer!” I want everyone to know. I need to share this tragedy, this heartbreak, this disruption. I’ve thought about how…
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What's Your Story — Mikey
I just want to say that it’s totally God that He brought Mikey into my life and crossed our paths. He spoke at my first book launch for Faithbook of Jesus hosted at North Coast Church. Then I asked him if I could interview him on camera for a second book project I was doing. And then that project was canceled. When I resurfaced and the book got picked up again by a different publisher–I asked Mikey. And then nothing. All I heard was silence. I’m so glad Mikey’s story is far from over. On June 29, 2012 he wrote this on his Facebook page after being silent for many…
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I Survived My 20's – Death
Looking back, I can’t believe I survived my 20s. I should have died. In a lot of ways, I never thought I would have a life, fall in love, or find purpose through all of my sufferings. Because of my skin. Because of my anxiety. Eczema stripped my face, feet, and hands of all their skin. It took collectively ten years for all of it to heal. From the ages of 15-25, I was mostly homeschooled, housebound, and desperately lonely. The truth is–we always believe the glamorous life is on the other side. I thought if I could be anyone other than who I was–I would be happy. And yet…
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Pre Engagement Questions
I want to thank every single person who wrote down pre engagement questions for Marc and before getting married. Thanks to my best friends, parents, and mentors for throwing me three separate Bridal Showers–I have notebooks full of encouragement, wise words, and tips. Here are 35 of my favorite pre engagement questions suggestions below: 1. Don’t Think…Enjoy! 2. All you need to know you can read in the Song of Solomon. 3. Remember, variety is the spice of life. Make each “encounter” a new adventure! 4. Tell him what you want and how you like it. He will appreciate you (get excited about) you sharing dirty details with him 🙂…
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Can you talk about marriage?
[Guest Post by Emily Miller] – Our pastor asked my now-husband and I an important question at our first premarital counseling session. “When did you first start to talk about marriage?” And, we answered honestly, we really hadn’t talked about marriage in the two years we had dated until Joel gave me a ring. Not unless you count the time he asked, hypothetically and completely without context, how many kids I wanted to have someday. Or the time he asked, generally, what kind of “jewelry” I liked. Of course, we hadn’t talked about dating until after we had been friends more than a year and he snuck his hand across…
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Sex and Money
[Guest Post by Jennifer Kephart] – I have heard it said that the two biggest things that married couples fight about are sex and money. I believe and know this to be true, and I think it is because so much of our identity and self-worth are wrapped up in these two areas of our lives. So many times when we meet someone new, we ask them, “what do you do?” Money can be such a touchy subject, but how then how are we just supposed to make it work? In my experience, I find that there are 3 primary areas where money issues can arise: 1) Not budgeting together…
